Intro

Mignon opens, mentions season break, and introduces guest Ben Zimmer and topic of antedating words.

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Episode notes

1145. In this bonus segment from October, I talk with Ben Zimmer about "hella" and how even yearbook messages can be digitized to help preserve the language record. Ben shares the full story of this slang term, and we also talk about the detective work that led to the OED using Run DMC's use of "drop" in “Spin Magazine” as a citation.

Ben Zimmer's website: Benzimmer.com

Ben Zimmer's social media: Bluesky. Facebook.

Links to Get One Month Free of the Grammar Girl Patreon (different links for different levels)

Order of the Snail ($1/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/687E4
Order of the Aardvark ($5/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/07205
Keeper of the Commas ($10/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/50A0B
Guardian of the Grammary ($25/month level): https://www.patreon.com/grammargirl/redeem/949F7

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| HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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